A new treasure trove
By Nancy Battick
If you’re new to genealogy you may not have heard of the USGenWeb project. Founded in 1996, it’s a free site located at www.usgenweb.org and hosted by volunteers. It’s a hidden gem many haven’t heard of or used and missed among the “big” names of genealogical resources.
I recently revisited the site and here’s what I found.
USGenWeb features information on every state in the country. You can click on a map and go to the home page of that state. I decided to check several random states including Maine, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Oregon and Alaska to evaluate what was available to researchers.
Each state page begins with an overview of that state and its history. You can access historical and genealogical records by clicking on links. While each state has unique material, I found biographies, maps, databases such as veteran lists and pioneer families, publications and articles, links to state resources, lists of genealogical resources and contact information among many others.
It’s obvious that the GenWeb volunteers are dedicated and determined to offer useful information about their area of the country. Each state page also has a map showing the various counties or districts in that state, and in some cases specific information about certain cities. With a click of your mouse, you can leap immediately into a given county to learn its history, the names of its towns and communities, as well as what records are available. The county volunteer host’s name and contact information allows you to contact that individual with inquiries or with other questions you might have or to recommend sources not listed.
I did note many instances of open slots for volunteer hosts. Since this is an all-volunteer effort, I didn’t find that at all unusual.
It’s sad, but genealogical societies and organizations are seeking members and volunteers to help with the workload associated with maintaining organizations. I imagine USGenWeb is in the same boat. In a world with smartphones, streaming services, and other things vying for our attention, joining and working for an organization is falling by the wayside.
Overall, from my brief foray into the webpages for the states I checked, I’d recommend you give USGenWeb a visit. If you know of an unlisted resource, you might want to contact the volunteer host with that information.
One notable absence in the few counties I visited was the absence of local historical societies. Those of you who know me will recognize my “it’s not all online” warning. Local historical societies often have holdings that aren’t online but are extremely valuable to family historians.
Give USGenWeb a try. It might be of help to your research. If you’re inspired to volunteer, look to see what volunteer host positions are open and sign up. Helping other genealogists is one of the joys of being a genealogist. We want to share the happiness of learning about our family roots.
Columnist Nancy Battick of Dover-Foxcroft has researched genealogy for over 30 years. She is past president of the Maine Genealogical Society, author of several genealogical articles and co-transcribed the Vital Records of Dover-Foxcroft. Nancy holds an MA in History from UM. Reader emails are welcome at nbattick@roadrunner.com.